Protecting device for baseball umpires



May 14,1935. c. R, TOBlN PROTECTING DEVICE FOR BASEBALL UMPIRES Filed April 50, 1934 INVENTOR CLAUDE R. TOB/N BY HTTORNEYS Patented May 14, 1935 I PROTECTING PATENT OFFICE- DEVICE FOR BASEBALL UMPIR Claude R. Tobin, St. Louis, Mo. Application April 30, 1934, Serial No. 723,055

. v v I 7 Claims.

- This invention relates to a novel athletic protectingdevi'ce that is intended to be worn by a baseball umpire duringthe performance of his duties. I

5 The main object of my invention is 't'oprovide an athletic protecting device that will not restrict or interfere with the free movements of the users body and which is of such design and construction that it will protect the users chest, abdomen and shouldersfrom injury produced by-a thrown or batted ball, or resulting from collision with a ball player.

Another object is to provide a protecting device of the kind above described, that is light in weight, inexpensive to construct and of such design that it can be easily adjusted to adapt it to users of diiferentsizes.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a front 'elevational viewof my improved athletic protecting device.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of said dev1ce.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational' view.

' Figure 4 is a sectional view, taken on the line -44 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and a I Figure dis a fragmentary front elevational view, illustrating the adjustability of the cover plates that are arranged over the gaps or joints between'the shoulder cap guards and the collar :bone protectors.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred form of my invention, A designates a chest and abdomen shield, which is of such shape and dimensions that it will completely coverthe users chest and abdomen, said shield consisting of a single rigid or i'nflexible member that is made substantially concavo-oonvex shaped in transverse cross section, so that when it is'mounted in operative position on the users body, it will conform approximately to the shape or outline of the users body and extend un- --brokenly or continuously across the users chest and downwardly over the users abdomen. The *lower portion of the shield A is provided with rounded corners I, and the upper portion of said shield which is of less width than the lower portion, is provided with inclined or curved side edges 2 that merge into the straight, verticallydisposed side edges 3 of the lower portion of the shield. Said shield may be formed of various kinds of materials, but I prefer to construct it from a sheet of hard fibre that is molded or pressed into shape andwhich' is of suflicient thickness to successfully" withstand the violent shocks .or' blows to which it is-subjected when in of the users'arms. combining the shoulder cap guards B with the angular position with relation to the collar bone use. If desired, the shield A may be provided with ventilating openings 4. 7

At the upper end of the shield A are two integral curved portions A that extend upwardly and rearwardly across the users shoulders and termi- 5 nate at the rear side of same, so as to afford adequate protection to the users collar bones, the

inner opposed edges 5 of said collar bone protectors A being curved and merging into a concaved neck opening'ii at the upper end of the shield A. 10 In addition to the collar bone protectors A, the device comprises shoulder cap guards B that are hinged or pivotally connected to the collar bone protectors A in such a way as to produce a substantially universal connection between said parts 1 which permits the shoulder capguards to partake of the movement of the users shoulder caps, and thus not restrict or interfere with the movement The particular method or" 20 collar boneprotectors'A is immaterial, so long as said parts are connected together in such a way that the shoulder cap guards are capable of rocking vertically and also twisting and assuming an protectors. I prefer, however, toprovide each shoulder cap guard B with an inwardly-projecting hinge piece I made of leather or other suitable flexible material that is joined to its co-acting collar bone protector A by means of a thong or 30 lacing 8 thatis laced through holes in the hinge piece and holes 8 in the collar bone protector, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Preferably, each collar bone protector A is provided withtwo or more sets of holes 8 located different distances from the outer edge of the protector, so as to permit the shoulder cap guards to be adjusted inwardly and outwardly, and thus adapt the device to users whose shoulders are of different width. The joints or gaps between the shoulder cap guards and the collar bone protectors are protected by cover plates C mounted on the collar bone protectors A" and proportioned so that they will lap over the inner edge portions of the shoulder cap bone protectors, and are herein illustrated as being provided with a plurality of sets of lacing holes 9 located different distances from the inner 1 guard protects.

in Figure 1, when the device is to be worn by av person having narrow shoulders.

The shoulder cap guards B are preferably formed from molded or pressed hard fibre, and

are of substantially concavo-convex-shape or form. Each of said guards is provided at its peripheral edge with a pad I0 constructed. of felt or other suitable material, and in order-to 1219-;

vent the guards B from bearing directly on the users shoulder caps, and thus perhaps causing:

injury to same, in the event of a violent shocker blow, each of the guards B is provided with a shock absorber, formed preferablyfrom two rightangularly-diSposed pieces of webbing .II and I2 stretchedtaut on theunderside of the guard. As shown inFigure 3, the .shockabsorbing element H of each shoulder cap guard is disposed transversely of the users shoulder and is connected at its opposite ends to the front and rear-edgesiof the guard. Theother shock absorbing element I2 isattached at its inner endto the shock absorbing element H and attached at its ,outer'end to the terminal edge .or outer end of the guard, thereby co-operating with said element 8 Ito form a shock absorber that holds the guard in spaced relationship with the shoulder cap. which the It is immaterial what'type or kindoi means .isused to hold the shield A in operativeposition on the usersbody; I prefer, however, toemploy a holding or retaining means that comprises a 'belt'piece D which extends transversely across the users back in'the'zone of the waist line, and a. substantially .veshaped aback stay or brace E attached at its upper end totheterminals of the collar bone protectors A and connected at its lower endvto thebelt piece 'D in such a waythat it can shiftrelatively .to said belt piece sufiiciently tofadapt itself to the movement of the user's body. In the 'form of my invention herein illustrated the back stay or'brace just referred to is composed of two strips or pieces of :webbin whose lower ends are joined together by a con.-

.nectingmember E formed preferably from a 1 piece of ther to which the lower. ends of said s r p or p of web in re secured bystitches ,Or inypth r sui able way, as sh wn in Fisu efi. h upper nds of the said straps or 7 pieces of webbing are inserted'through horizony sed its 3 formed in the. oollarbone protectors A and are permanently connected to same by rivets 14.. The connecting p ece SE at th lower-end of t e back stayis provided with parallel, vertically-disposed slits, [5 through The. belt piece .D is preferably are adapted to be detachably connected together by a buckle i6, one of said strips orpieces of webbing being permanently attached toone edge of the shield A and the other strip or piece of webbing being adjustably connected to the other-edge of the shield A.

v Inorder toprevent the lowerendpcrtionof the shield A from bearing directly against the usersabdomen and thus perhaps causing injury from the users body.

to same, in the event said shield is subjected to a violent shock or blow, a shock absorbing device F is positioned on the inner side of the shield A adjacent the lower end of same. Said shock absorbing device F is herein illustrated as being formed from a relatively wide piece of nonstretchable webbing stretched taut across the inner side of the shield A, so as to hold the lower portion of the shield out of direct contact with the user's abdomen. The piece of webbing that constitutes the shock absorbing device F is provided at its ends with reinforcements I'I formed preferably from pieces of leather, and said piece of webbing is adjustably connected to the shield A in such a way that the length of same can be varied to takeup the. slack in same, thereby enabling the shock absorbing device F to be mainmined in a'ztaut qrtightly stretched condition.

In the form of my invention herein illustrated the shock absorbing device F is connected to the shield A by meonspi them or Zlacints :1! Linser d. thr ushboles in said shield and .co-actinz holes is in the re nforced end portions iii/fill shock absorbing device F, each of said reinforced nd po tions-llamas pluralit oiz-rowarpi iholes;

1.9, as shown nJ' gure .3, secs do enable the lens-tn f the device Fio be. chan ed icritbenurp se previous vdesoribedt r H ving thus described my .invenhomwlut vI laim as new and desired: s curebyliemu Bit 2. An athleticprotec incdevice ottheikindde cri ed in cla m in :which the shoulder cap guards are adius ly connected tothe collar b ne protectors, and-cover nlatesare arran d over he oi ts 'bctweco thc shoulder can guards and he collar bonoproteotora.

thle icsnrot ctinsdevice, comm" j a substantially rigid or inflexible .shieldzolpurved shape in transverse acro s. section; :formed .irom

a ingle member .that iitendaunbrokcnlywoss he u s chest and downwardly overtheusers ab omen, nte al collar bone protectors atiihe upper end of saidlshicld that extendnver useris. shoulders and terminate. atthe sidevot same, shoulder cap guardaadiuatable meamimr .hingingsaid guards to saidlcollar'bone protectors, and coverplates onsaidrshield thatzlapeover the joints between said collarbone protectors-and shouidercap. guards. I I l 4. An athletictprotecting device oft-hezkind describedin claim 3, in :which said shield. provided at its. lower end withatransversely-disposed shockabsorbingdevice that holdstherbottom edge 0f said shield spaced Sliflhtly away 5. An athletic protecting. device. of the lrinddo scribedin claim 3,. equipped witha shock absorbing device formed. by a piece oi webbing stretched taut. across he innorsidesof the shield at; the 0.1.:-

treme lower end of same, mm means :forenablingthe tension of said wcbbingatovbevaricd.

6-. "An athletic protecting. device comprising a substantially rigid and inflexible shieldzthlt: oratects the user's chest, abdomen and collar bones, and means for holding said shield in operative position on the user's body comprising a belt piece that extends transversely across the users back in the zone of the waist line, and a back brace attached at its upper end to the collar bone protecting portions of said shield, and joined at its lower end to said belt piece in such a way that it can shift relatively to said belt piece.

7. An athletic protecting device, comprising a combined chest and abdomen shield of substantlally curved shape in cross section, made from a piece of molded or pressed hard fibre; said shield being provided at its upper end with integral, curved collar bone protectors that extend over the users shoulders and terminate at the rear side of same, a belt piece secured to the side edges of said shield, and a substantially V- shaped back brace attached at its upper ends to the terminals of said collar bone protectors and provided at its lower end with a part that is slidingly mounted on said belt piece.

CLAUDE R. TOBIN. 

